Gillingham’s inconsistent season reared its head once again when Steve Evans’ side left Fratton Park disappointed that they hadn’t taken three points against promotion chasing Portsmouth as the two sides shared a 1-1 draw.
After the desperate disappointment of the midweek late defeat at relegation threatened AFC Wimbledon, the Gills found themselves a goal down after half an hour when former Dover Athletic defender powered a header past Jack Bonham.
Vadaine Oliver though had the visitor’s level at the break as he took advantage of some shocking defending to slot home, and after a much improved second half display, the visitors went close on a couple of occasions with substitute John Akinde failing to capitalise with the best when the giant defender couldn’t beat Pompey keeper Craig MacGillivray late on.
The Gills boss made two changes from the midweek defeat with Akinde and Robbie McKenzie being replaced in the starting eleven by Jordan Graham and Stuart O’Keefe, meanwhile Alex MacDonald was missing through illness.
And where the Gills conceded at the death at Plough Lane, they were fortunate not to be behind in the first seconds at Fratton Park as Marcus Harness beat Bonham but was denied by the frame of the goal.
Bonham was at his brilliant best to keep out a low drive from the former Cuxton 91 youngster Harvey White, who’s shot from the edge of the box seemed destined for the bottom corner.
There was nothing though that the Gills stopper could do with Raggett’s header twelve minutes from the break – the former Gills youngster and Dover defender thumping a header past Bonham from a Harness cross.
The Gills to their credit rallied superbly even if they were gifted an equaliser before the break. Defender Lee Brown made a woeful attempt at chesting the ball back to his keeper and Oliver nipped in brilliantly to smash the ball past MacGillivray. The Pompey keeper then produced his own heroics just before the break to palm Ollie Lee’s stinging drive onto the bar.
Just before the hour, the visitors were again indebted to their keeper as Bonham somehow managed to keep out an effort from Tom Naylor’s flick. Oliver was inches away from his second with a shot on the turn, before the striker went even closer from Graham’s cross with a header that was even closer.
As the game approached its climax, the Gills pressed for a win. With just two minutes left on the clock, Kyle Dempsey’s shot beat MacGillivray only to thud against the outside of a post before deep into stoppage time, Akinde raced through and with only the Pompey keeper to beat, the Gills sub couldn’t add to his recent goals as MacGillivray stuck out a boot to deny the visitors the win.
After a week on the road, the Gills now face two home games in the next week as the MK Dons and then Ipswich Town come to Priestfield and the manager will be looking for some of the spirit shown at Fratton Park as his side look to start a new month in a more consistent fashion than they ended the old month.
PORTSMOUTH – MacGillivray, Mnoga (Whatmough), Raggett, Nicolaisen, Brown, Harness, Cannon, Naylor, White, Curtis (Williams), Harrison (Marquis)
Subs – Byers, Daniel, Ward, Hiwula-Mayifuila
GILLINGHAM – Bonham, Jackson, Tucker, Cundy, Ogilvie, O’Keefe, Dempsey, Graham, Lee (Akinde), O’Connor, Oliver
Subs – Morton, Willock, Bastien, McKenzie, Johnson, Woods
REFEREE – Mr Robinson
Image courtesy of Gillingham FC